63,950 tests in 2025
Ford S-Max reliability and MOT pass rate
70.3% passed first time. The 29.7% fail rate is 7.1 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 12 years old with 104,196 miles.
Pass rate
70.3%
22.6% of all cars failed; 29.7% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.9%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
104,196 mi
12 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 2,402 | 15.3% |
| 6-9 years | 15,557 | 18.5% |
| 10-13 years | 20,874 | 31.7% |
| 14+ years | 25,066 | 36.3% |
What the S-Max fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Suspension434 dangerous34.7%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment107 dangerous33%
- Tyres6,462 dangerous32.5%
- Brakes3,258 dangerous24.1%
- Body, chassis, structure183 dangerous19.3%
- Visibility7 dangerous11.9%
- Noise, emissions and leaks39 dangerous11.4%
- Steering59 dangerous10.2%
Is the S-Max getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.8 points to 29.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years. Ageing alone would predict about 4.9 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 81,219 | 10 | 28% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 78,212 | 11 | 28.9% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 65,179 | 12 | 29.9% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 63,337 | 12 | 29.8% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical S-Max at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a S-Max in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2,320 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2,280 tests
- 3Condition: has ply or cords exposed1,864 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,850 tests
- 5Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt1,693 tests
- 6Position lamp: not working1,563 tests
- 7Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt1,264 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1,197 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical S-Max collects 3.22 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm16,599 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick9,438 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn7,523 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened7,424 tests
- 5Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened5,851 tests
- 6Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine5,319 tests
- 7Suspension arm: corroded and seriously weakened4,426 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure3,907 tests
Questions
What is the Ford S-Max MOT pass rate?
70.3% of the 63,950 Ford S-Max first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 29.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.9% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Ford S-Max usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick", recorded on 2,320 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Condition: has ply or cords exposed". By section, suspension appears in 34.7% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 33% of failures, tyres appears in 32.5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 15.3%; at 14+ years it was 36.3%. The median Ford S-Max tested in 2025 was 12 years old with 104,196 miles.
Is the Ford S-Max getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.8 points to 29.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years. Ageing alone would predict about 4.9 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every S-Max trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 23 safety recalls naming the Ford S-Max: Ford S-Max recalls.
Other Ford models
Checking a particular S-Max?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.